


promises to keep

by nickofhearts



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: /IZUNIA/, Fluff, M/M, NO MATTER HOW MUCH /SOME PEOPLE/ TRIED TO INFLUENCE ME, Reincarnation, nothing bad happens in this, you know who you are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2018-09-26 23:06:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9928058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickofhearts/pseuds/nickofhearts
Summary: The fluffy boyfriends AU where nothing bad happens.





	1. Winter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [banditess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/banditess/gifts), [dreamingcicadas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingcicadas/gifts).



> Inspired by all the heart-wrenching fanart of the two of them being domestic and adorable.

"Noct, you're going to be late," someone's saying. They're flicking him on the nose just hard enough that he can't ignore it, moving with him as Noct tries to shift away. 

He grumbles and burrows deeper into the covers.

"I _did_ warn you," the voice says, right before they yank the covers completely off him, sudden _cold_ flooding in, the sun too-bright against his closed eyelids. 

"Nnnn," Noct protests, curling up into a ball to preserve the last bit of his warmth. 

Ardyn laughs, the jerk, holding his covers hostage until Noct blinks his eyes open, glaring. Ardyn looks like he's been up for awhile, hair in a messy ponytail, the many layers of his usual outfits eschewed for a colourful sweater that stretches tight over his shoulders.

"You're the worst," Noct tells him, sulking. He holds his arms out for the covers, but Ardyn dumps them on the far side of the bed before scooping Noct up and carrying him out into the living room. 

"I'm the _best_ ," Ardyn corrects him.

He settles them down at the table in front of a plate of omurice, tucking his chin against Noct's shoulder and wrapping his arms around Noct's middle. It's not _quite_ as good as having his covers back, but Noct supposes it'll do. 

That's when he gets a good look at the picture Ardyn's drawn with the ketchup and laughs. "Is that Carbuncle?!"

Ardyn huffs into his neck. "It is, and it's a _masterpiece,_ so eat up, you little brat."

Noct's still laughing as he steals Ardyn's phone to snapchat a picture of it to Prompto. 'Look what my boyfriend made me!! (・∀・)' 

Prompto's reply comes almost immediately. 'Lucky~~~~'

"You're giving me a ride to class, right?" Noct asks, digging in around the edges to keep the picture intact for as long as he can. It _is_ cute, and much better than Ardyn's early attempts had been. 

Ardyn sighs dramatically, nosing at his hair. "I suppose I _must_ , seeing as you'd never make it otherwise."

Noct presses a smacking kiss to his cheek, laughing again when Ardyn tries to bat him away. 

"Finish your breakfast!" Ardyn growls at him, though he grudgingly accepts the forkful Noct offers him in apology.

-

It's not so bad when Ardyn drops him off at campus, most of the students too busy rushing off to their own classes to pay attention to what exactly Noct's rolled up in, and Noct spares a few extra minutes for a lingering kiss before he tears himself away to head to his first lecture, but there're the usual stares and tittering when Ardyn picks him up a few hours later.

Noct sighs, dumping his books in the backseat before getting in next to Ardyn. "You _know_ you can afford a better car now, right?"

"I could _afford_ a better boyfriend too," Ardyn retorts, making as if he's waiting for Noct to buckle himself in before he pulls out of the drive.

Noct sticks his tongue out at him. "As _if_."

Ardyn's smile is long-suffering but fond, and he reaches over to rest his hand on Noct's as they head back home, lacing their fingers together.

-

"Where's my coat?" Noct whines, digging through the closet. It's cold enough that there's snow on the ground, and he's already late for his study session with the guys.

Ardyn reaches around him, flipping more methodically through the closet than Noct's haphazard rummaging. "Did you leave it at Prompto's again?" He takes out his own winter jacket, draping it over Noct's shoulders, the hoodie falling over Noct's face and obscuring almost his entire field of vision. "Here, take mine." 

Noct snuggles into it, pushing the hood back up but tugging the thick material more securely around him. "What'll you wear, then?"

"Your _undying_ gratitude," Ardyn tells him with a completely serious face, breaking into laughter only when Noct rolls his eyes in such an over-exaggeration that it almost causes him physical pain.

"Don't be late!" Noct reminds him before stepping into his boots and heading for the door. 

He makes a very manly and not all mousey squeaking sound when Ardyn flips him around with a hand on his shoulder before he can make his exit, crowding him against the door and taking a long thorough kiss—Noct almost forgets why he's leaving in the first place.

"For the road," Ardyn says, and it's only Noct's phone rumbling in his pocket that gets him moving again, Gladio's earlier threat that he'd come up there to get Noct himself if he tried to skive off another study session to 'suck face' with his boyfriend. 

"Ugh," Noct mutters, texting Gladio back that he'll be down in _two minutes_ , jeez.

"Seven o'clock," Ardyn affirms, watching him trudge reluctantly down the long hallway, Noct glancing back over his shoulder with a longing look at Ardyn every few steps, and he doesn't hear the door close again until after he's rounded the corner.

-

"You are _objectively_ terrible at this," Ardyn tells him.

Noct looks at where he's drying a dish in his hands. It's clean, isn't it? This wasn't like the time he thought dirty dishes would magically clean themselves if you put them back in the cupboards.

"There's still soap on that," Ardyn says, sighing as he takes it from Noct and runs it under the tap again. "It's a good thing you're so pretty, since there's nothing but fluff up here." He knocks two knuckles against Noct's forehead.

"Yeah," Noct agrees, getting a new towel to dry the dish Ardyn hands back to him. "Though my boyfriend's so narcissistic that I wonder if he notices how pretty I am over looking at his own face in the mirror."

Noct yelps when Ardyn splashes him with the soapy water, the dishes forgotten as Noct's shirt gets soaked through, then Ardyn's. 

By the time they _and_ the dishes are all clean again, Noct freshly showered and drowsy, it's too late for anything but curling up on the couch together, Noct with his head in Ardyn's lap as Ardyn reads through the notes of his latest court case, the soft murmur of the tv in the background as Ardyn cards fingers through his hair, lulling him gently into sleep.


	2. Summer

Noct wandered in through the extravagant glass double-doors of the high-rise building, stopping to examine the floor to cieling paintings on the walls of the foyer with a keen eye. " _Behave,_ Patroclus," he murmured at the kitten that was trying to climb out of his pocket.

Relenting, he gently pet it on the forehead with two fingers as he made his way over to the receptionist's desk.

"Hi," Noct beamed at her. "I'm here to see Ardyn."

She gave him an extremely unimpressed look. "I don't have any appointments for Mr. Izunia at 2:00."

"It's a surprise!" Noct told her.

"Your name?" she asked.

Noct winked. " _That's_ a surprise too."

She slowly looked him over, from his t-shirt that was covered in cat hairs to his khakis that had definitely seen better days, stained and littered with areas that had been torn open by industrious kitten claws. "Okay then, _stranger,_ " she said, waving him at the elevator. "It's your funeral."

-

Noct eyed the registry, looking for Ardyn's office number, which turned out to be on the highest level. "Looks like _Mr. Izunia_ is hot stuff, huh Patroclus?"

Patroclus purred, nuzzling at Noct's fingertips.

Everyone in the law office either didn't give him a second glance—assuming he was a client?—or paused to give him the same type of lookover that the receptionist had, which ended with the kind of judgmental dismissal that implied he was judged and had been found wanting.

Noct grumbled, stalking through the halls until he reached Ardyn's office.

Ardyn, it turned out, wasn't in, and his office door was locked to boot.

Noct pouted, leaning against the office door. He set Patroclus on his shoulder, letting him explore a little while they waited.

"Mrow!" Patroclus declared, attacking the shiny buckle of Noct's jacket that went over his shoulder.

Noct nudged him gently on the nose, then went back to playing with his phone.

-

" _Noct,_ " Ardyn said in surprise maybe ten minutes later, coming back to his office with a stack of papers in one arm.

Noct put his hands on his hips. "That's _Dr._ Caelum to you, Mr. Izunia, Esquire."

Ardyn rolled his eyes and shooed Noct into his office. "Don't tell me you left the clinic in _Prompto's_ hands? There'll be nothing left of it by tomorrow."

"Hey!" Noct defended his long-time best friend. That microwave fire had (mostly) not been Prompto's fault, and anyway, Iris had put it out with the fire extinguisher before any real damage had been done.

"Patroclus missed you," Noct told him, setting the kitten down on Ardyn's desk where he happily started nosing at all the new things with new smells.

"Oh?" Ardyn asked, raising an eyebrow. " _Patroclus_ missed me, was it?"

"Hmmm," Noct said, considering. " _Maaaaaybe_ me too, just a little."

Ardyn smirked, pushing his chair back so Noct could get around the desk and deposit himself in Ardyn's lap.

"You haven't come home before ten o'clock for like a _week,_ " Noct sniffed. "I wanted to make sure it was because you were actually busy and not because you were stepping out on me." He grabbed Patroclus quickly by the scruff before the kitten could explore himself off the edge of the desk, setting him back down in the middle of the table and making a little fortress of paper and books around him. "Patroclus would be heartbroken."

"Obviously," Ardyn agreed, kissing Noct softly on the corner of his mouth. "Is _Patroclus_ going to make an honest man of me too?"

Noct wrinkled his nose at him. "I don't think that's allowed in California."

"Alas," Ardyn remarked. "I suppose you'll have to do."

Noct laughed, throwing his arms around Ardyn's shoulders. "Asshole. You'd be _lucky_ to have me."

Ardyn murmured chuckling against his mouth—"Indeed I am, _Dr. Caelum._ "


	3. Spring

Cherry blossom petals floated gently down around them as Ardyn unpacked the picnic basket. They were having an unseasonably warm spring, even by California's standards, and the cherry blossoms at the local park in their neighborhood were already in full bloom even though the year had barely started. Noct puffed out a breath of air, blowing away a petal that had daringly landed on his nose. 

" _How_ old are you, Noctis?" Ardyn asked him, tossing an adorable little sandwich Noct's way. He set the rest of them out on a plate. "I swear sometimes you still act like you're five."

Noct made a face at him. " _Gosh,_ Ardyn. I hope that's not what you're thinking in the bedroom."

Ardyn rolled his eyes, not even deigning to answer that with a reply as he uncorked the wine and poured them each a glass. "To happiness and prosperity," he said, toasting Noct's glass.

"To all the kittens and puppies of the world finding loving homes," Noct added, toasting him back.

Ardyn sighed at him, aggrieved. "You keep telling me not to bring my work home, yet _you_ won't shut up about yours for even one minute."

Noct stuffed a sandwich in his mouth, washing it down with the wine before replying, ignoring the grimace Ardyn made at his barbaric uncultured ways. " _My_ work is adorable, and brings joy to everyone involved. _Your_ work makes people cry and also show up to your office with cleavers trying to murder your ass."

Ardyn glared at him. "That was only the once, and they didn't even make it up to my office."

"Uh huh," Noct agreed, reaching for more sandwiches.

Ardyn caught his hand before he got to them. " _You_ are insufferable and a blight on my very existence," he said feelingly, pinching Noct on the forearm when Noct opened his mouth to protest the slanderous accusations. "Yet somehow I can't imagine living without you." He pressed a kiss tenderly to Noct's knuckles, and Noct felt his heart speed up as something cold and circular slid onto his finger. "Here, you ungrateful brat."

Noct stared at the ring on his finger with wide eyes, completely without a clever rejoinder for once. It wasn't _unexpected,_ exactly, after the ten years they'd spent together, but it still somehow took him by surprise. 

"I—" he sniffled, wiping at his eyes.

"I kept the receipt, so if you don't like it, I'll pick out a nicer one to give to my mistress—" 

" _Fuck you!_ " Noct yelled, smacking Ardyn on the shoulder. " _We're doing this,_ you're stuck with me _forever._ "

He yanked Ardyn towards him for an impassioned kiss, ignoring the fact that his knee had landed in and was squashing all the delicate little sandwiches. They would still be edible, just somewhat deformed. Ardyn laughed into his mouth, pulling Noct fully into his lap as he kissed him back with all the thoroughness he showed every one of his endeavors, though none of them had taken Ardyn as long as it had for him to claim Noct for his own. 

"We're eloping," Noct whispered into Ardyn's mouth, tucked close so there was only room enough for the two of them and their secrets. "I'm not suffering through the grand wedding dad's been threatening me with since before we started dating."

"Whatever your heart desires," Ardyn answered him, smiling at Noct with cherry petals littering his hair, and Noct couldn't imagine anything more perfect or beautiful in the whole world.


	4. Fall

Noct tugged at his tie uncomfortably. Okay, so maybe this had been a bad idea. 

He'd just wanted to see what Ardyn in his natural shark habitat was like, but he'd forgotten to take into account that that meant the _rest_ of the gathering would also be made up of sharks. It wasn't that Noct couldn't handle himself in the midst of a group of vicious coldblooded lawyers, but this was the whole reason why he _hadn't_ gone into the megacorporate family business and become a veterinarian instead. Small fluffy animals never asked for his net worth before they deigned to shake his fucking hand.

"You clean up pretty nice for a scruffy hobo with a kitten," the receptionist who had once judged him at the door of Ardyn's law offices said, breezing up to him with two champagne flutes...both of which she hogged to herself.

Noct huffed. "That's Dr. Scruffy Hobo to you." 

"Awww, here cutie," she amended, handing him one of the champagne glasses. "Is Izunia your sugar daddy or something?"

Noct choked on his champagne, snorting it up his nose by accident. " _No._ " 

That was of course when Ardyn made his way through the throng to drape an arm over Noct's shoulders proprietorially, giving his receptionist a look that could probably drop someone dead if this was a DnD game and Ardyn had put all his points into a mage specialization and the death glare skill. "I see you've met Aranea."

Noct leaned subtly into Ardyn's side, putting his on hand over Ardyn's on his shoulder. "She thinks you're my sugar daddy," he mock-whispered.

It was Ardyn's turn to choke, though he did it much more gracefully than Noct had. "I distinctly remember your father paying for you to be sent to etiquette lessons wherein the first dictate was to introduce yourself by your full name and title."

" _Ugh,_ " Noct grumbled. "I've suppressed all those memories."

"Miss Highwind," Ardyn said, sweeping a graceful bow in Noct's stead. "May I introduce to you the light of my existence, _Noctis Lucis Caelum,_ heir to Caelum Industries, may his majesticness Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII live long and never perish."

Noct returned Aranea's stare with a bashful smile.

-

Ardyn introduced Noct to the rest of his colleagues with about the same level of pomp and ceremony, while Noct pasted on a smile and did not get any enjoyment whatsoever out of the looks of shock on their faces as they recognized him as the "scruffy kitten hobo" that'd wandered their halls a few months past. Nope. None.

He _did_ allow himself a quiet snicker when some blond kid that'd been trying to cozy up to Ardyn went entirely red in the face as Ardyn went the extra mile and laced his fingers together with Noct's, positioned particularly to show off the ring on Noct's finger.

"Oh, I—didn't know—" the kid stuttered out, looking like he was going to _cry,_ and fled the scene.

"You're the _worst,_ " Noct whispered to Ardyn, though he was desperately trying not to laugh. "I bet you broke his heart."

Ardyn scoffed. "Mr. Tummelt's aspirations of sleeping his way to the top will have to land on another target." He pulled Noct against him, though that wasn't proper or appropriate at _all_ at such a high-brow function of posturing by society's elite. "I'm afraid I'm already spoken for."

Noct smiled into the kiss. "I love you too, asshole."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh," Ravus said, looking like he'd stepped in something extremely unpleasant, though the dour grimace was actually his default expression, as Noct had learned from many varied experimentations with Luna that involved pranks of escalating levels on her brother. "Noctis."
> 
> "Ravus," Noct responded genteely. "How's Luna?"
> 
> "Fine." Ravus flicked a glance at where Ardyn was still holding Noct's hand, then gave them a long slow examination that encompassed everything they were and would ever be. "How are...you?"
> 
> "Great!" Noct answered him, holding up his hand to show Ravus his ring. "I got married!" 
> 
> Ravus' expression turned even more dour, though it was a minuscule change. "How...nice for you...both."
> 
> "Give Luna my love!" Noct told him, ducking forward before Ravus could react to wrap him in a tight hug and then land a smacking kiss on his cheek. "Just like that, got it?"
> 
> Ravus looked like he'd been violated in ways previously unbeknownst to him. "...fine."


	5. Once Upon a Time

"Ardyn!" a little black blur screamed, then came barreling into his knees. Noct was bounced back by the force of his momentum, but appeared mostly unscathed, looking up at Ardyn with a shining expression as he held out his arms to be picked up. "Hi!!!"

Ardyn sighed, but did as requested by the squirming five-year-old, who immediately wrapped sticky fingers around his neck and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. 

"You're my _favourite,_ " Noct asserted, whispering loudly into Ardyn's ear.

Regis chuckled at them as he held out Aulea's coat for her, then draped a colourful shawl over her shoulders. "I'll leave you to it then," he said to Ardyn, pausing to turn a stern gaze on his only son and heir. " _You_ behave yourself, Noctis, I don't want to hear from Ardyn that you were a complete menace like Ravus always says."

Noct stuck his tongue out at them. " _Ardyn_ loves me for _me,_ right Ardyn?"

Ardyn nodded solemnly along. "Of course, Noct." He set him down. "Now go and wash your hands, you little monster, I don't even want to know what you've gotten in my hair this time."

Noct bounced off happily, peeking over his shoulder to check that Ardyn was following him and making a face that Ardyn was still seeing his parents off.

"He's a handful," Aulea remarked, giving him a warm smile. It was easy to see where Noct got his charm from. "You _are_ his favourite though, he never gets this excited about any of his other babysitters."

"More woe me," Ardyn answered, though he was smiling himself. "Have a nice night, Mrs. Caelum. Mr. Caelum."

" _Ardyn!!!_ " Noct wailed from down the hall.

"My charge awaits," Ardyn said to them, tipping an imaginary hat. 

Aulea laughed as she waved a goodbye, Regis opening the door of the Regalia for her. Ardyn shook his head as he made his way to where Noct was waiting for him, holding out squeaky clean but still wet hands for his inspection. 

"Oh _Noct,_ " Ardyn told him. He took down a towel and dried them while Noct shifted restlessly, keen on getting on with the evening.

"What's today's story going to be about, Ardyn?" Noct asked excitedly, reaching up to be picked up again after he was all cleaned up. "Are there going to be princes and kings and _dragons_ again?"

" _Patience,_ Noctis," Ardyn admonished him, bopping him on the nose. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Noct pouted, blowing a raspberry against Ardyn's neck. "But I want to know _noooow._ "

"Once upon a time..." Ardyn began, refusing to be rushed by any means.

-

Noct at fifteen was a different kind of handful from Noct at five or ten years of age. He didn't bounce eagerly up to Ardyn seeking his approval or his many wild and heroic tales of kings and princes of old, but he _was_ still obviously pleased to see him. Noct _even_ leaned up on his tiptoes to give Ardyn his traditional kiss on the cheek, laughing when Ardyn swatted at him half-heartedly, as if they both didn't know he enjoyed Noct's affections just as much as Noct enjoyed giving them to him.

"Your father says you're having trouble with your calculus class," Ardyn commented, setting his backpack down to gather his books out of it.

"Mmm," Noct agreed, watching him with a keen eye but making no move to get his own homework out.

" _Noct,_ " Ardyn said.

" _Ardyn,_ " Noct parroted back lazily, stretched out so he was taking up the entirety of the sofa himself.

"I _should_ tell your father that you're an absolute menace," Ardyn declared, shoving Noct's legs off the sofa so he could take the seat next to him. He spread his books out on the table before them, but Noct didn't even give them a passing glance.

"You won't," Noct answered with absolute confidence. 

"And why's that?"

"Because you _love_ me," Noct murmured, sing-song into Ardyn's ear. He grasped handfuls of Ardyn's shirt in his fingers and pulled Ardyn to him, and it was as natural as breathing, just trading kisses with Noct until the clock chimed twelve and they broke apart, Noct dashing into the bathroom to wash his face with cold water to remove the evidence, the front door opening maybe ten minutes later to admit his parents home. 

"Mr. Caelum, Mrs. Caelum," Ardyn greeted them, bookbag all packed up and already in hand.

"Always a pleasure, Ardyn," Aulea said with a smile. 

Regis took her coat and hung it in the closet before asking—"Noct's calculus grade isn't past saving, I hope?"

"It hangs in the balance," Ardyn answered grimly. "I'll be by again tomorrow to continue its resuscitation."

Aulea laughed, though she tugged Ardyn aside with the pretense of having him help her unlace her boots to tell him, as if it were some great secret, "Noct's missed you while you've been away at college, Ardyn. I haven't seen him this obviously happy since before you left."

"He's a—good kid," Ardyn replied uncertainly, unsure of exactly what she was getting at.

"As are you," Aulea answered, smiling again. 

Ardyn left feeling perturbed, wondering if Noct had let something slip to his mother, or perhaps it was only female intuition. In either case, they'd have to be more careful about their assignations in the future. He cast a glance over his shoulder as he headed down the drive, and smiled at the familiar mop of black hair that was just visible in the window of Noct's room.


	6. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noct gets sick.

Noct huddled miserably under the covers. He was cold and sore and his throat felt filled with pins and needles. " _Ughhhhh_ ," he moaned when Ardyn lifted a corner of the comforter to check on him. "Go awaaaay."

Noct breathed agonizingly through his mouth, whimpering every time he had to swallow and his throat closed up painfully.

"You’re burning up," Ardyn murmured, holding a hand to his forehead. He made a thoughtful sound, then got up and disappeared again, only to return with a bottle of flu medication and a spoon in his hands.

"Noooooo," Noct moaned before Ardyn had even said anything. That medication tasted _foul._

"You’ll feel better, Noct," Ardyn admonished him. He was already uncapping the medicine and pouring out a heaping spoonful.

"No!!!"

Noct summoned all the strength within him to pull the covers completely over his head again. _Better_ was relative. Just the smell of the medicine was already making him gag.

Ardyn poked him through the covers and Noct huddled into a tighter ball.

"As you wish, then," Ardyn sighed at him before his footsteps went down the hall again. Noct shivered beneath all the blankets, praying for death.

-

He woke up again in—late afternoon? The sun was in his eyes, and he was tucked neatly against Ardyn in his lap on the sofa. A fluffy nest of blankets surrounded them.

"M'gonna get you sick," Noct told him, but snuggled closer anyways.

"You are my burden to bear, Noct," Ardyn answered with a gentle press of his lips to Noct’s forehead. "I shall just have to bear it."

"mmm'kay," Noct agreed, and settled back down to nap the rest of the day away. He felt better already, warm and comfortable in Ardyn’s arms while Ardyn reviewed his case files. The regular rustling of paper was a familiar sound, and Noct let it carry him away into sleep.


End file.
